Igor Tudor did not conduct a press conference following Tottenham's defeat to Nottingham Forest after being informed of an immediate family bereavement. His assistant coach Bruno Saltor took the responsibility following the tragic news.

Saltor noted it was not an appropriate time for the Croatian to speak. "Personal matters, family matters and I am stepping in as it is not right time for him to speak," the ex-Brighton defender said upon speaking to Sky Sports, after Spurs' 3-0 loss at home.

After a bright start, Tottenham were put to the sword by Vitor Pereira's side. Igor Jesus scored just before half-time before Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi secured a pivotal victory in the relegation battle.

"Every mistake right now is going against us, every detail is going against us and it affects the players as well," Saltor continued. "You can see how much they are fighting. We are in a difficult situation, everyone knows.

"In the first half we were the better team and need to be consistent with that. "We were 1-0 down and wanted to be a little more aggressive with players coming back from injuries. It didn't work as planned but it was our intention.

"It hurts us, it is painful, really painful, but the fans were outstanding today - from before the game until the end of the game. We need to carry on because we care, we care for Spurs, we are family and want to get out of this situation. I am 100% sure we can get through this situation."

Forest's victory saw them leapfrog Tottenham into 16th position. The Lilywhites remain one point clear of the relegation zone after West Ham lost to Aston Villa.

Goals from John McGinn and Ollie Watkins at Villa Park helped Unai Emery's side continue their Champions League push, while denying the Irons the chance of escaping the bottom three.

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There are now three weeks until Tottenham play in the Premier League and resume their battle to remain in the division. Tudor's position has long been under scrutiny, with international breaks often proving to be timely opportunities to replace managers.

The interim boss arrived in north London last month but has won just one match since being appointed. Tottenham defeated Atletico Madrid 3-0 in the Champions League in their previous match but still exited the competition after a first-leg thrashing.

Saltor suggested in his press conference that Spurs' best efforts have not been enough.

"I think any mistake that we make, any small detail goes against us and we're not able to capitalise on the opposition's mistakes. And probably that affected the team," he said.

"And that's our job as coaches, to keep helping the players. And as you can see, the players, they care and they are 100% trying their best. But at the moment, it's not enough.

"We need to minimise any mistakes because we know that we're going to concede a goal."